Man City are making a decision on the transfer of Julian Alvarez as Chelsea prepare their bid

Manchester City have already rejected an approach from Atletico Madrid for Julian Alvarez as Chelsea consider a move for the Argentine striker, according to reports in Spain.

Alvarez has just completed his second season at City, scoring 19 goals for Pep Guardiola’s side, who ended the campaign with an historic fourth Premier League title in a row.

The 24-year-old made 54 appearances in all competitions and was City’s eighth-highest player in terms of minutes played throughout the season.

But Marca report that Alvarez is considering a move to gain more prominence as he is aware that he will always be behind Erling Haaland at City.

The report claims that Atletico have already made an approach to City over the prospect of a deal for Alvarez, but the Premier League champions have “categorically rejected” the possibility of a transfer.

It is understood that even if City were to consider a sale, a minimum offer of €80m (£67.9m) before add-ons would be too expensive for Atletico.

Alvarez originally joined City for an initial fee of £14m from River Plate in 2022 and has three years left on his contract.

City’s firm stance does not bode well for Chelsea who, according to reports in Argentina, are lining up their own move for Alvarez.

Chelsea’s hierarchy have a positive relationship with City having signed Cole Palmer and Raheem Sterling in recent years, while Mateo Kovacic made the move from Stamford Bridge to the Etihad Stadium last summer.

But he faces an uphill task in convincing City to let Alvarez leave given his proven versatility and ability in front of goal since entering the Premier League.

Paris Saint-Germain have also expressed an interest in signing Alvarez before the start of next season as they look for a replacement for Kylian Mbappe, who has joined Real Madrid.

PSG have also considered a move for Victor Osimhen, but Napoli are demanding the Nigerian international’s €130m (£110.8m) release clause be met.

Chelsea have already ruled out the bid to sign Osimhen due to the high costs involved in the deal.

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